If procrastination is already affecting your life, use self-help materials backed by randomized trials; you don't have to see a therapist

Moderate value
Evidence A
Saves time
Free
Takes some hours
Some willpower

In plain words

Procrastination that has become severe enough to cause distress can be treated. People who worked through cognitive behavioral self-help materials for ten weeks, whether with someone guiding them or entirely on their own, did clearly better than people who did nothing. There was no visible difference between being guided and not being guided, so working through it on your own works too.

Cost: A self-help book costs a few dozen CNY, and some are free. It takes about ten weeks: read one section and do one exercise each week.
What you get: 150 people were randomly split into three groups: self-help with a therapist's guidance, self-help without guidance, and a waiting-list control. After ten weeks, the between-group effect size on the pure procrastination scale was d = 0.70 for the guided group (95% CI 0.29–1.10, the plausible range) and d = 0.50 for the unguided group (0.10–0.90). On the irrational procrastination scale it was 0.81 (0.40–1.22) and 0.69 (0.29–1.09). The share reaching clinically meaningful improvement was 31.3% to 40.0% in the guided group and 24.0% to 36.0% in the unguided group. The two groups did not differ significantly on any outcome.
Notes: The participants were Swedish adults using Swedish-language materials, and there is no ready-made equivalent set in Chinese, so the size of the benefit is rated "medium." The parts of the materials are the usual ones: behavioral activation, behavioral experiments, stimulus control, and explanations about motivation and working methods. Stimulus control is in §4.10 (move what you don't want to touch farther away). If procrastination comes with clear low mood or anxiety, start with §3.18 (get moving, get sunlight, sleep on time, talk to someone, call 12356, the national mental-health hotline).
Evidence grade: A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources: Rozental A, Forsell E, Svensson A, Andersson G, Carlbring P (2015). Internet-based cognitive-behavior therapy for procrastination: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(4), 808–824. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000023

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 4, tip 13. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer